Camera module and electronic device

ABSTRACT

A camera module includes a plastic carrier, an imaging lens assembly, a reflective element and a plurality of auto-focusing elements. The plastic carrier includes an inner portion and an outer portion, wherein an inner space is defined by the inner portion, and the outer portion includes at least one mounting structure. The imaging lens assembly is disposed in the inner space of the plastic carrier. The reflective element is for folding an image light by a reflective surface of the reflective element into the imaging lens assembly. The auto-focusing elements include at least two magnets and at least one wiring element, wherein the auto-focusing elements are for moving the plastic carrier along a second optical axis of the imaging lens assembly, and the magnets or the wiring element can be disposed on the mounting structure of the outer portion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/164,985, filed Feb. 2, 2021, which is a continuation of theapplication Ser. No. 16/459,781, filed Jul. 2, 2019, U.S. Pat. No.10,942,422 issued on Mar. 9, 2021, which claims priority to TaiwanApplication Serial Number 107132119, filed Sep. 12, 2018, which areherein incorporated by references.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a camera module. More particularly,the present disclosure relates to a camera module applicable to aportable electronic device.

Description of Related Art

In recent years, the portable electronic devices have been developedrapidly, such as smart devices, tablets and so on. These portableelectronic devices have been full of daily lives of modern people, andthe camera module loaded on the portable electronic devices thrives onit. The demand for quality of the camera module increases along with theadvances in technology. Therefore, the camera module needs to beimproved not only on the quality of the optical design but manufacturingassembling precision.

During the process of the manufacturing and assembly of the cameramodule, the arrangement among the elements not only would affect sizeand image quality thereof, but also restrict the range of theapplications on portable electronic devices. Therefore, development ofcamera module with both compact size and high image quality is a goal ofthe related industries.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a camera moduleincludes a plastic carrier, an imaging lens assembly, a reflectiveelement, and a plurality of auto-focusing elements. The plastic carrierincludes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner space isdefined by the inner portion, and the inner portion includes, from anobject side to an image side, an object-side opening, at least one innerannular surface and an image-side opening. The outer portion includes atleast one mounting structure. The imaging lens assembly is disposed inthe inner space of the plastic carrier, and includes a plurality of lenselements and a second optical axis. The reflective element is forfolding an image light by a reflective surface of the reflective elementinto the imaging lens assembly, wherein the reflective element includesa first optical axis, and the first optical axis is folded into thesecond optical axis via the reflective surface. The auto-focusingelements include at least two magnets and at least one wiring element,wherein the auto-focusing elements are for moving the plastic carrieralong the second optical axis of the imaging lens assembly, and the atleast two magnets or the at least one wiring element is mounted on theat least one mounting structure of the outer portion. The object-sideopening is closer to the reflective element than the image-side openingthereto, the at least two magnets are respectively disposed on two sidesof one plane formed by the first optical axis and the second opticalaxis.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice includes the camera module of the aforementioned aspect and animage sensor, wherein the image sensor is disposed on an image surfaceof the camera module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading thefollowing detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made tothe accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module according to the1st embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the camera module according to the 1stembodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is another exploded view of the camera module according to the1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier of the cameramodule according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1E is a schematic view of the imaging lens assembly of the cameramodule according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1F is a schematic view of the arrangement of the magnets of thecamera module according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1G is a schematic view of an end surface of the plastic carrier ofthe camera module according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1H is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module according to the2nd embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the camera module according to the2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier of the cameramodule according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a plane view of an object side of the imaging lens assemblyand the plastic carrier according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2E is a schematic view of a plane P1 according to the 2ndembodiment in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2F is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module according to the3rd embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is another three-dimensional view of the camera module accordingto the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the camera module according to the3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier of the cameramodule according to the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3E is a schematic view of a plane P1 according to the 3rdembodiment in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3F is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule according to the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of an electronic device according to the 4thembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B is another schematic view of the electronic device according tothe 4th embodiment.

FIG. 4C is a block diagram of the electronic device according to the 4thembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an electronic device according to the 5thembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an electronic device according to the 6thembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a camera module, including a plasticcarrier, an imaging lens assembly, a reflective element, and a pluralityof auto-focusing elements. The plastic carrier includes an inner portionand an outer portion, wherein the inner space is defined by the innerportion, and the inner portion includes, from an object side to an imageside, an object-side opening, at least one inner annular surface and animage-side opening. The outer portion includes at least one mountingstructure. The imaging lens assembly is disposed in the inner space ofthe plastic carrier, and includes a plurality of lens elements and asecond optical axis. The reflective element is for folding an imagelight by a reflective surface of the reflective element into the imaginglens assembly, wherein the reflective element includes a first opticalaxis, and the first optical axis is folded into the second optical axisvia the reflective surface. The auto-focusing elements include at leasttwo magnets and at least one wiring element, wherein the auto-focusingelements are for moving the plastic carrier along the second opticalaxis of the imaging lens assembly, and the at least two magnets or theat least one wiring element is mounted on the at least one mountingstructure of the outer portion. The object-side opening is closer to thereflective element than the image-side opening thereto, the at least twomagnets are respectively disposed on two sides of one plane formed bythe first optical axis and the second optical axis. More specifically,the at least two magnets and the plastic carrier are arranged in adirection vertical to the second optical axis, and the plastic carrieris located between the at least two magnets. Therefore, it is favorablefor reducing the height of the camera module so as to achieve aminiaturized design by equally disposing the at least two magnets withdriving function on two sides of the plane formed by the integratedplastic carrier and the reflective element.

The inner portion of the plastic carrier and the mounting structure ofthe outer portion can be integrally formed into a black plastic articlevia an injection molding. Therefore, it is favorable for enhancing themanufacturing quality effectively by replacing the tolerances generatedby the assembling of different parts with the manufacturing precision ofthe mold.

The wiring element can be disposed on the plastic carrier and facetowards the magnets. Therefore, it is favorable for achieving thefunction of auto-focusing actuation by cooperating the circuit matingelements to the wiring element and the magnets without additionalmounting mechanical element.

The aforementioned at least two magnets can be disposed on the plasticcarrier and face towards the wiring element. Therefore, it is favorablefor reducing the thickness of the camera module effectively bysimplifying the arrangement of the magnets so as to achieve the goal ofminiaturization.

One of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly closest to thereflective element is exposed out of the plastic carrier along adirection vertical to the second optical axis; that is, the lens elementclosest to the reflective element is not covered by the plastic carrieralong the direction vertical to the second optical axis. Therefore, theaforementioned lens element can be the last lens element of the imaginglens assembly assembled into the plastic carrier, which is favorable foradaptively rotating the lens element by the assembling fixture when thelens element is assembled, so that the resolution of the imaging lensassembly can be improved, and it is favorable for reducing theundesirable image quality by adjusting the lens element during theassembling process in the simple assembling.

The imaging lens assembly can further include a retaining ring disposedin the plastic carrier and close to the object-side opening, so as tolocate the lens element in the inner space. In the present disclosure,the plastic carrier can be integrally formed by a carrier and a lensbarrel, the arrangement of the retaining ring can stabilize the assemblyof the imaging lens assembly so as to enhance the quality reliability ofthe camera module, and it is favorable for the imaging lens assemblypreventing from unnecessary effect by external force.

When a height of the plastic carrier is H, and an outer diameter of theretaining ring is ψL, the following condition is satisfied:0.3<ψL/H<1.0. Therefore, the retaining ring can have better structuralstrength so as to avoid the excessive outer diameter which causes theretaining ring damaged easily. Furthermore, the following condition canbe satisfied: 0.4<ψL/H<0.85. Therefore, the stable effect provided bythe retaining ring can be further enhanced.

The aforementioned auto-focusing elements can further include a firstsheet elastic element and a second sheet elastic element, wherein thefirst sheet elastic element and the second sheet elastic element arearranged along the second optical axis in pairs. Therefore, it isfavorable for reducing the size of the camera module effectively, andenhancing the manufacturing efficiency.

A number of the inner annular surface is at least three. Therefore, morelens element can be accommodated to achieve different levels ofresolution requirements.

When a half of a maximum field of view of the imaging lens assembly isHFOV, the following condition is satisfied: 0 degrees<HFOV<20 degrees.Therefore, a smaller half of field of view is favorable for meeting therequirements of different shooting distances.

The reflective element can be a prism element and a number of thereflective element is only one, which is for folding the image lightinto the imaging lens assembly thereby. It is favorable for checking theimage quality of the imaging lens assembly by arranging the prismelement on the front end of the imaging lens assembly. After ensuringthe resolution meeting the standard, the prism element can be assembledand adjusted to align the image capturing range of the camera module soas to improve an efficiency of the production process.

One of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly closest to theprism element is a first lens element, and a central thickness of thefirst lens element is a largest central thickness among centralthicknesses of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly.Therefore, it is favorable for ensuring the imaging lens assembly withsufficient light refractive power so as to maintain more adjustmentmargin adapting to requirements of optical specifications.

One of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly closest to theprism element is a first lens element, when a distance between anobject-side surface of the first lens element and an image surface onthe second optical axis is TTL, and a focal length of the imaging lensassembly is f, the following condition is satisfied: 0.4<TTL/f<1.10.Thereby, the photographing requirements with enlarging effect can besatisfied.

All of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly are located in theinner space of the plastic carrier. Since the focus of the camera moduleis performed by the entire imaging lens assembly, it is favorable foravoiding the difference of the moving distances of the lens elementswhich might cause the undesirable image result from tilting lens elementby disposing all lens elements in the inner space.

The plastic carrier can further include at least two gate tracesrespectively disposed on the two sides of the plane formed by the firstoptical axis and the second optical axis. Therefore, it is favorable formolding the plastic carrier with further complicated structure byarranging the injecting position on different sides.

The aforementioned at least two gate traces are both close to theimage-side opening; that is, the distance between each gate trace andthe object-side opening is greater than the distance between each gatetrace and the image-side opening. Therefore, it is favorable forenhancing the molding quality of the image-side opening, so as to avoidflaws the image-side opening from the injection molding, such as ashort- bright surface flaw, which would further affect the image qualityand generate a stray light.

A diameter of the image-side opening can be smaller than outer diametersof all of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly. Therefore, theplastic carrier can be deemed as the lens barrel for the imaging lensassembly to be disposed therein, and an additional lens barrel can beomitted, so as to reduce the size of the camera module.

A number of the wiring element can be only one, and the wiring elementcan surround the outer portion of the plastic carrier. By reducing thenumber and a complexity of the wiring element, assembling steps can bereduced and manufacturing fluency can be improved.

The number of the at least two magnets can be an even. Therefore, thesize of the camera module can be avoided to be modified due to thenumber of the magnets, and it is favorable for moving the plasticcarrier by the auto-focusing elements further stably.

The plastic carrier can be a threadless structure. Therefore, atolerance and a difficulty of assembling can be reduced to increase aqualifying rate of the image quality of the camera module.

Furthermore, a material of the plastic carrier can include a chemicalfiber or a glass fiber, such as PC with 30% glass fiber. Therefore, aflow of plastic bodies inside the molding die can be increased, and asurface molding quality of the plastic bodies can be better. Forexample, chemical fiber can strengthen the structural strength of theplastic carrier. Thus, it is favorable for the production control andquality of injection molding by doping a proper amount of fibermaterial.

Each of the aforementioned features of the camera module can be utilizedin various combinations for achieving the corresponding effects.

The present disclosure further provides an electronic device, includingthe aforementioned camera module and an image sensor, wherein the imagesensor is disposed on an image surface of the camera module. Therefore,the electronic device with both image quality and assembling stabilitycan be provided.

1st Embodiment

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module 100 according tothe 1st embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1B is an explodedview of the camera module 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG.1A. FIG. 10 is another exploded view of the camera module 100 accordingto the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A. In FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 10 , thecamera module 100 includes a plastic carrier 110, an imaging lensassembly 120 (labelled in FIG. 1E), a reflective element 130, and aplurality of auto-focusing elements (its reference numeral is omitted),wherein in the 1st embodiment, the reflective element 130 is a prismelement.

FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier 110 of thecamera module 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A. In FIGS.1B, 10 and 1D, the plastic carrier 110 includes an inner portion (itsreference numeral is omitted) and an outer portion (its referencenumeral is omitted). An inner space 110 a is defined by the innerportion, and the inner portion includes, from an object side to an imageside, an object-side opening 111, at least one inner annular surface112, and an image-side opening 113. The object-side opening 111 iscloser to the reflective element 130 than the image-side opening 113thereto; in the 1st embodiment, a number of the inner annular surfaces112 is at least three, more specifically, the number of the innerannular surfaces 112 is six. The outer portion includes at least onemounting structure 114; in the 1st embodiment, the number of themounting structure 114 is one. In the 1st embodiment, the inner portionof the plastic carrier 110 and the mounting structure 114 of the outerportion are integrally formed into a black plastic article via aninjection molding, and the plastic carrier 110 is a threadlessstructure. A material of the plastic carrier 110 includes a chemicalfiber.

FIG. 1E is a schematic view of the imaging lens assembly 120 of thecamera module 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A. In FIG.1B, FIG. 10 , FIG. 1D and FIG. 1E, the imaging lens assembly 120 isdisposed in the inner space 110 a of the plastic carrier 110, andincludes a plurality of lens elements and a second optical axis X2; morespecifically, the imaging lens assembly 120 includes five lens elementsmade of plastic materials, which are a first lens element 121, a secondlens element 122, a third lens element 123, a fourth lens element 124,and a fifth lens element 125, respectively, and the first lens element121 is the closest lens element to the reflective element 130 among thelens elements of the imaging lens assembly 120. In FIG. 1E, one of thelens elements of the imaging lens assembly 120 closest to the reflectiveelement 130 is exposed out of the plastic carrier 110 along a directionD1 vertical to the second optical axis X2, that is, the first lenselement 121 is not covered by the plastic carrier 110 in the directionD1, and the first lens element 121 is exposed in the direction D1 fromat least one notch disposed on the plastic carrier 110. Moreover, one ofthe lens element of the imaging lens assembly 120 closest to thereflective element 130 (that is, the first lens element 121 in the 1stembodiment) has a largest central thickness among central thicknesses ofthe lens elements of the imaging lens assembly 120.

Furthermore, the imaging lens assembly 120 can further include aretaining ring 126 disposed in the plastic carrier 110 and close to theobject-side opening 111, so as to locate the lens elements (that is, thefirst lens element 121 to the fifth lens element 125) in the inner space110 a.

The reflective element 130 is for folding an image light by a reflectivesurface 131 thereof into the imaging lens assembly 120, wherein thereflective element 130 includes the first optical axis X1, and the firstoptical axis X1 is folded into the second optical axis X2 via thereflective surface 131. In the 1st embodiment, a number of thereflective element 130 is only one.

The auto-focusing elements include the at least two magnets 142 and theat least one wiring element 141, wherein the auto-focusing elements arefor moving the plastic carrier 110 along the second optical axis X2 ofthe imaging lens assembly 120, and the magnets 142 or the wiring element141 is mounted on the mounting structure 114 of the outer portion; inthe 1st embodiment, the wiring element 141 is disposed on the mountingstructure 114; more specifically, in the 1st embodiment, a number of thewiring element 141 is only one, and the wiring element 141 surrounds themounting structure 114 of the outer portion of the plastic carrier 110.FIG. 1F is a schematic view of the arrangement of the magnets 142 of thecamera module 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A. In FIG.1F, the first optical axis X1 and the second optical axis X2 form aplane P1, and the magnets 142 are respectively disposed on two sides ofthe plane P1, and are arranged equally. In the 1st embodiment, thewiring element 141 is disposed on the plastic carrier 110 and facestowards the magnets 142.

In FIG. 1B and FIG. 10 , the auto-focusing elements can further includea first sheet elastic element 143 a and a second sheet elastic element143 b, wherein the first sheet elastic element 143 a and the secondsheet elastic element 143 b are arranged along the second optical axisX2 in pairs.

FIG. 1G is a schematic view of an end surface of the plastic carrier 110of the camera module 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A,which shows the image-end surface of the plastic carrier 110. In FIG. 1Fand FIG. 1G, the plastic carrier 110 further includes the at least twogate traces 115 respectively disposed on the two sides of the plane P1formed by the first optical axis X1 and the second optical axis X2. Withrespect to object-side opening 111, the gate traces 115 are closer tothe image-side opening 113. More specifically, in the 1st embodiment, anumber of the gate traces 115 is four.

FIG. 1H is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule 100 according to the 1st embodiment in FIG. 1A. In the 1stembodiment, when a height of the plastic carrier 110 is H, an outerdiameter of the retaining ring 126 is ψL, a central thickness of thefirst lens element 121 is CT1 (that is, the thickness of the first lenselement 121 on the second optical axis X2), a half of a maximum field ofview of the imaging lens assembly 120 is HFOV, a distance between anobject-side surface of the first lens element 121 and an image surface150 on the second optical axis X2 is TTL, and a focal length of theimaging lens assembly 120 is f, the following conditions of the Table 1are satisfied, respectively.

TABLE 1 1st embodiment ψL (mm) 4.75 TTL (mm) 12.7 H (mm) 7.5 f (mm)14.46 ψL/H 0.63 TTL/f 0.88 HFOV (degrees) 9.75 CT1 (mm) 2.1

Moreover, in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 10 , the camera module 100 caninclude an object-side housing (its reference numeral is omitted) and animage-side housing (its reference numeral is omitted). Morespecifically, the object-side housing includes a first object-sidehousing element 101 a and a second object-side housing element 101 b foraccommodating the reflective element 130; the image-side housingincludes a first image-side housing element 102 a, a second image-sidehousing element 102 b, and a third image-side housing element 102 c foraccommodating the imaging lens assembly 120 and the auto-focusingelements. The camera module 100 can be applied to an electronic device(not shown) by assembling the object-side housing and the image-sidehousing. Moreover, in FIG. 1B and FIG. 10 , when the camera module 100is applied to an electronic device, the image surface 150 and an imagesensor 151 are connected to the third image-side housing element 102 cof the image-side housing and are disposed on the image surface 150.

2nd Embodiment

FIG. 2A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module 200 according tothe 2nd embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B is across-sectional view of the camera module 200 according to the 2ndembodiment in FIG. 2A. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the camera module 200includes a plastic carrier 210, an imaging lens assembly 220, areflective element 230, and a plurality of the auto-focusing elements(its reference numeral is omitted).

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier 210 of thecamera module 200 according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A. Theplastic carrier 210 includes an inner portion (its reference numeral isomitted) and an outer portion (its reference numeral is omitted). Aninner space 210 a is defined by the inner portion, and the inner portionincludes, from an object side to an image side, an object-side opening211, at least one inner annular surface 212, an object-side opening 213.The object-side opening 211 is closer to a reflective element 230 thanthe image-side opening 213 thereto; in the 2nd embodiment, a number ofthe inner annular surfaces 212 is at least three, more specifically, thenumber of the inner annular surfaces 212 is six. The outer portionincludes at least one mounting structure 214 a, 214 b; in the 2ndembodiment, a number of the mounting structures 214 a, 214 b is two. Inthe 2nd embodiment, the inner portion of the plastic carrier 210 and themounting structures 214 a, 214 b of the outer portion are integrallyformed into a black plastic article via an injection molding, and theplastic carrier 210 is a threadless structure. A material of the plasticcarrier 210 includes a chemical fiber.

In the 2nd embodiment, the imaging lens assembly 220 is disposed in theinner space 210 a of the plastic carrier 210 and includes a plurality oflens elements and a second optical axis X2; more specifically, theimaging lens assembly 220 includes five lens elements made of plasticmaterials, which are a first lens element 221, a second lens element222, a third lens element 223, a fourth lens element 224, and a fifthlens element 225, respectively, and the first lens element 221 is theclosest lens element to the reflective element 230 among the lenselements of the imaging lens assembly 220. FIG. 2D is a plane view of anobject side of the imaging lens assembly 220 and the plastic carrier 210according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A. One of the lens elements ofthe imaging lens assembly 220 closest to the reflective element 230 isexposed out of the plastic carrier 210 along a direction D1 vertical tothe second optical axis X2, that is, the first lens element 221 is notcovered by the plastic carrier 210 in the direction D1, and the firstlens element 221 is exposed in the direction D1 from at least one notchdisposed on the plastic carrier 210. Moreover, one of the lens elementof the imaging lens assembly 220 closest to the reflective element 230(that is, the first lens element 221 in the 2nd embodiment) has alargest central thickness among central thicknesses of the lens elementsof the imaging lens assembly 220.

Furthermore, the imaging lens assembly 220 can further include aretaining ring 226 disposed in the plastic carrier 210 and close to theobject-side opening 211, so as to locate the lens elements (that is, thefirst lens element 221 to the fifth lens element 225) in the inner space210 a.

In FIG. 2A, the reflective element 230 is for folding an image light bya reflective surface 231 thereof into the imaging lens assembly 220,wherein the reflective element 230 includes the first optical axis X1,and the first optical axis X1 is folded into the second optical axis X2via the reflective surface 230. In the 2nd embodiment, a number of thereflective element 230 is only one.

According to the 2nd embodiment of FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, theauto-focusing elements include four magnets 242 a, 242 b and two wiringelements 241 a, 241 b, wherein the auto-focusing elements are for movingthe plastic carrier 210 along the second optical axis X2 of the imaginglens assembly 220. The magnets 242 a, 242 b or the wiring elements 241a, 241 b are disposed on the mounting structures 214 a, 214 b of theouter portion; in the 2nd embodiment, the two wiring elements 241 a, 241b are disposed on the mounting structures 214 a, 214 b, respectively.The two magnets 242 a face towards the wiring element 241 a in pairs.The N pole of one magnet 242 a is disposed on a side facing towards thewiring element 241 a, and the N pole of the another magnet 242 a isdisposed on a side away from the wiring element 241 a, likewise, anothertwo magnets 242 b face towards the wiring element 241 b in pairs. The Npole of one magnet 242 b is disposed on a side facing towards the wiringelement 241 b, and the N pole of the another magnet 242 b is disposed ona side away from the wiring element 241 b, so as to drive the plasticcarrier 210 to focus. FIG. 2E is a schematic view of a plane P1according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A. In the 2nd embodiment, thefirst optical axis X1 and the second optical axis X2 form the plane P1,and the two magnets 242 a, 242 b are respectively disposed on two sidesof the plane P1 in pairs, and are arranged equally.

In FIG. 2A, the plastic carrier 210 can further include at least twogate traces 215 respectively disposed on the two sides of the plane P1formed by the first optical axis X1 and the second optical axis X2. Withrespect to object-side opening 211, all of the gate traces 215 arecloser to the image-side opening 213. More specifically, in the 2ndembodiment, a number of the gate traces 215 is four.

Moreover, in the 2nd embodiment, the auto-focusing elements can furtherinclude a first sheet elastic element and a second sheet elasticelement, wherein the arrangements and structures of the first sheetelastic element and the second sheet elastic element are the same as thefirst sheet elastic element 143 a and the second sheet elastic element143 b in the 1st embodiment, and will not be described again herein.

FIG. 2F is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule 200 according to the 2nd embodiment in FIG. 2A. In the 2ndembodiment, when a height of the plastic carrier 210 is H, an outerdiameter of the retaining ring 226 is ψL, a half of a maximum field ofview of the imaging lens assembly 220 is HFOV, a distance between anobject-side surface of the first lens element 221 and an image surface(not shown) on the second optical axis X2 is TTL, and a focal length ofthe imaging lens assembly 220 is f, the following conditions of theTable 2 are satisfied, respectively.

TABLE 2 2nd embodiment ψL (mm) 4.75 TTL (mm) 12.7 H (mm) 7.5 f (mm)14.46 ψL/H 0.63 TTL/f 0.88 HFOV (degrees) 9.75 CT1 (mm) 2.1

3rd Embodiment

FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional view of a camera module 300 according tothe 3rd embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is anotherthree-dimensional view of the camera module 300 according to the 3rdembodiment in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the cameramodule 300 according to the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A. In FIGS. 3A, 3B,and 3C, the camera module 300 includes a plastic carrier 310, an imaginglens assembly 320, a reflective element 330, and a plurality ofauto-focusing elements (its reference numeral is omitted).

FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of the plastic carrier 310 of thecamera module 300 according to the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A. Theplastic carrier 310 includes an inner portion (its reference numeral isomitted) and an outer portion (its reference numeral is omitted). Aninner space 310 a is defined by the inner portion, and the inner portionincludes, from an object side to an image side, an object-side opening311, at least one inner annular surface 312, and an object-side opening313. The object-side opening 311 is closer to the reflective element 330than the image-side opening 313 thereto; in the 3rd embodiment, a numberof inner annular surfaces 312 is at least three, more specifically, thenumber of inner annular surfaces 312 is five. The outer portion includesat least one mounting structure 314 a and 314 b; in the 3rd embodiment,a number of the mounting structures 314 a, 314 b is two. In the 3rdembodiment, the inner portion of the plastic carrier 310 and themounting structure 314 a, 314 b of the outer portion are integrallyformed into a black plastic article via an injection molding, and theplastic carrier 310 is a threadless structure. A material of the plasticcarrier 310 includes a glass fiber.

In the 3rd embodiment, the imaging lens assembly 320 is disposed in theinner space 310 a of the plastic carrier 310 and includes a plurality oflens elements and the second optical axis X2; more specifically, theimaging lens assembly 320 includes five lens elements made of plasticmaterials, which are a first lens element 321, a second lens element322, a third lens element 323, a fourth lens element 324, and a fifthlens element 325, respectively, and all of the lens elements of theimaging lens assembly 320 (that is, the first lens element 321 to thefifth lens element 325) are located in the inner space 310 a of theplastic carrier 310. Furthermore, one of the lens element of the imaginglens assembly 320 closest to the reflective element 330 (that is, thefirst lens element 321 in the 3rd embodiment) has a largest centralthickness among central thicknesses of the lens elements of the imaginglens assembly 320.

In FIG. 3C, the imaging lens assembly 320 can further include aretaining ring 326 disposed in the plastic carrier 310 and close to theobject-side opening 311 so as to locate the lens elements (that is, thefirst lens element 321 to the fifth lens element 325) in the inner space310 a.

In 3A, the reflective element 330 is for folding an image light by areflective surface 331 of the reflective element 330 into the imaginglens assembly 320, wherein the reflective element 330 includes the firstoptical axis X1, and the first optical axis X1 is folded into the secondoptical axis X2 via the reflective surface 331. In the 3rd embodiment, anumber of the reflective element 330 is only one.

According to the 3rd embodiment of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, theauto-focusing elements include four magnets 342 a, 342 b and two wiringelements 341 a, 341 b, wherein the auto-focusing elements are for movingthe plastic carrier 310 along the second optical axis X2 of the imaginglens assembly 320. The four magnets 342 a, 342 b or the two wiringelements 341 a, 341 b are disposed on the mounting structures 314 a, 314b of the outer portion; in the 3rd embodiment, the two magnets 342 a aredisposed in pairs on the mounting structure 314 a, and facing towardsthe wiring element 341 a. Another two magnets 342 b are disposed inpairs on the mounting structure 314 b and facing towards the wiringelement 341 b so as to drive the plastic carrier 310 to focus. FIG. 3Eis a schematic view of a plane P1 according to the 3rd embodiment inFIG. 3A. In the 3rd embodiment, the first optical axis X1 and the secondoptical axis X2 form the plane P1, and the two magnets 342 a, 342 b arerespectively disposed on two sides of the plane P1 in pairs, and arearranged equally.

In FIG. 3B, the plastic carrier 310 can further include at least twogate traces 315 respectively disposed on the two sides of the plane P1formed by the first optical axis X1 and the second optical axis X2. Withrespect to object-side opening 311, the at least two gate traces 315 arecloser to the image-side opening 313. More specifically, in the 3rdembodiment, a number of the gate traces 315 is four.

Moreover, in the 3rd embodiment, the auto-focusing elements furtherinclude a first sheet elastic element and a second sheet elasticelement, wherein the arrangements and structures of the first sheetelastic element and the second sheet elastic element are the same as thefirst sheet elastic element 143 a and the second sheet elastic element143 b in the 1st embodiment, and will not be described again herein.

FIG. 3F is a schematic view of parameters ψL, H, and CT1 of the cameramodule 300 according to the 3rd embodiment in FIG. 3A. In the 3rdembodiment, when a height of the plastic carrier 310 is H, an outerdiameter of the retaining ring 326 is ψL, and a central thickness of thefirst lens element 321 is CT1 (that is, the thickness of the first lenselement 321 on the second optical axis X2). Moreover, in the 3rdembodiment, when a half of a maximum field of view of the imaging lensassembly 320 is HFOV, a distance between an object-side surface of thefirst lens element 321 and an image surface (not shown) on the secondoptical axis X2 is TTL, and a focal length of the imaging lens assembly320 is f, the following conditions of the Table 3 are satisfied,respectively.

TABLE 3 3rd embodiment ψL (mm) 4.32 TTL (mm) 11.3 H (mm) 7.05 f (mm)10.7 ψL/H 0.61 TTL/f 1.06 HFOV (degrees) 15.1 CT1 (mm) 2

4th Embodiment

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of an electronic device 40 according to the4th embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is another schematicview of the electronic device 40 according to the 4th embodiment. InFIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the electronic device 40 is a smart phone accordingto the 4th embodiment. The electronic device 40 includes a camera module41 according to the present disclosure and an image sensor 42, whereinthe camera module 41 can be any one of the camera modules of theaforementioned embodiments, but is not limited thereto. The image sensor42 is disposed on an image surface (not shown) of the camera module 41.Therefore, it is favorable for satisfying requirements of the massproduction and appearance of the camera module applied to the electronicdevice nowadays.

Specifically, the user activates the capturing mode by the userinterface 48 of the electronic device 40, wherein the user interface 48of the 4th embodiment can be a touch screen 48 a, a button 48 b, etc. Atthis moment, the camera module 41 collects imaging light on the imagesensor 42 and outputs electronic signals associated with images to animage signal processor (ISP) 47.

FIG. 4C is a block diagram of the electronic device 40 according to the4th embodiment, especially a block diagram of the electronic device 40.In FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C, the electronic device 40 can further include anoptical anti-shake mechanism 44, moreover, the electronic device 40 canfurther include at least one auxiliary optical component 46 and at leastone sensing component 45. The auxiliary optical component 46 can be aflash module for compensating color temperature, an infrared distancemeasurement component, a laser focus module, etc. The sensing component45 can have functions for sensing physical momentum and kinetic energy,such as an accelerator, a gyroscope, a Hall Effect Element, to senseshaking or jitters applied by hands of the user or externalenvironments. Accordingly, the auto-focusing functions and the opticalanti-shake mechanism 44 of the camera module 41 of the electronic device40 can be enhanced to achieve the superior image quality. Furthermore,the electronic device 40 according to the present disclosure can have acapturing function with multiple modes, such as taking optimizedselfies, high dynamic range (HDR) under a low light condition, 4Kresolution recording, etc. Additionally, the user can visually see thecaptured image of the camera through the touch screen 48 a and manuallyoperate the view finding range on the touch screen 48 a to achieve theautofocus function of what you see is what you get.

Moreover, in FIG. 4B, the camera module 41, the image sensor 42, theoptical anti-shake mechanism 44, the sensing component 45, and theauxiliary optical component 46 can be disposed on a flexible printedcircuitboard (FPC) 49 a and electrically connected with the associatedelements, such as an image signal processor 47, via a connector 49 b toperform a capturing process. Since the current electronic devices, suchas smartphones, have a tendency of being light and thin, the way offirstly disposing the camera module, the imaging lens assembly andrelated elements on the flexible printed circuitboard and secondlyintegrating the circuit into the main board of the electronic device viathe connector can satisfy the mechanical design of the limited spaceinside the electronic device and the layout requirements and obtain moremargins. The auto focus function of the imaging lens module can becontrolled more flexibly via the touch screen of the electronic device.In the 4th embodiment, the electronic device 40 can include a pluralityof sensing components 45 and a plurality of auxiliary optical components46. The sensing components 45 and the auxiliary optical components 46are disposed on the flexible printed circuitboard 49 a and at least oneother flexible printed circuitboard (not labelled particularly) andelectrically connected with the associated elements, such as an imagesignal processor 47, via corresponding connectors to perform a capturingprocess. In other embodiments (not shown), the sensing elements and theauxiliary optical elements can also be disposed on the main board of theelectronic device or carrier boards in other forms according torequirements of the mechanical design and the circuit layout.

Furthermore, the electronic device 40 can further include, but not belimited to, a display, a control unit, a storage unit, a random accessmemory, a read-only memory, or the combination thereof.

5th Embodiment

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of an electronic device 50 according tothe 5th embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5 , the electronicdevice 50 of the 5th embodiment is a tablet. The electronic device 50includes a camera module 51 according to the present disclosure and animage sensor (not shown), wherein the image sensor is disposed on theimage surface (not shown) of the camera module 51.

6th Embodiment

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an electronic device 60 according tothe 6th embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 6 , the electronicdevice 60 of the 6th embodiment is a tablet. The electronic device 60includes a camera module 61 according to the present disclosure and animage sensor (not shown), wherein the image sensor is disposed on theimage surface (not shown) of the camera module 61.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. It is to be noted thatTables show different data of the different embodiments; however, thedata of the different embodiments are obtained from experiments. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the disclosure and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. The embodiments depicted above and theappended drawings are exemplary and are not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the scope of the present disclosure to the precise formsdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of theabove teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A camera module, comprising: a plastic carrier,comprising: an inner portion, wherein an inner space is defined by theinner portion, and the inner portion comprises, from an object side toan image side, an object-side opening, at least one inner annularsurface and an image-side opening; and an outer portion comprising atleast one mounting structure; an imaging lens assembly disposed in theinner space of the plastic carrier and comprising: a plurality of lenselements and a second optical axis; and a retaining ring disposed in theplastic carrier and close to the object-side opening, so as to locatethe lens elements in the inner space; a reflective element for foldingan image light by a reflective surface of the reflective element intothe imaging lens assembly, wherein the reflective element comprises afirst optical axis, and the first optical axis is folded into the secondoptical axis via the reflective surface; and a plurality ofauto-focusing elements comprising at least two magnets and at least onewiring element, wherein the auto-focusing elements are for moving theplastic carrier along the second optical axis of the imaging lensassembly, and the at least two magnets are mounted on the at least onemounting structure of the outer portion; wherein the object-side openingis closer to the reflective element than the image-side opening thereto,the at least two magnets are respectively disposed on two sides of oneplane formed by the first optical axis and the second optical axis. 2.The camera module of claim 1, wherein the inner portion of the plasticcarrier and the at least one mounting structure of the outer portion areintegrally formed into a black plastic article via an injection molding.3. The camera module of claim 2, wherein the at least one wiring elementis disposed on the plastic carrier and faces towards the at least twomagnets.
 4. The camera module of claim 2, wherein the at least twomagnets are disposed on the plastic carrier and face towards the wiringelement.
 5. The camera module of claim 2, wherein one of the lenselements of the imaging lens assembly closest to the reflective elementis exposed out of the plastic carrier along a direction vertical to thesecond optical axis.
 6. The camera module of claim 1, wherein a heightof the plastic carrier is H, an outer diameter of the retaining ring isψL, and the following condition is satisfied:0.3<ψL/H<1.0.
 7. The camera module of claim 6, wherein the height of theplastic carrier is H, the outer diameter of the retaining ring is ψL,and the following condition is satisfied:0.4<ψL/H<0.85.
 8. The camera module of claim 2, wherein theauto-focusing elements further comprise a first sheet elastic elementand a second sheet elastic element, wherein the first sheet elasticelement and the second sheet elastic element are arranged along thesecond optical axis in pairs.
 9. The camera module of claim 2, wherein anumber of the at least one inner annular surface is at least three. 10.The camera module of claim 2, wherein a half of a maximum field of viewof the imaging lens assembly is HFOV, and the following condition issatisfied:0 degrees<HFOV<20 degrees.
 11. The camera module of claim 2, wherein thereflective element is a prism element and a number of the reflectiveelement is only one, which is for folding the image light into theimaging lens assembly thereby.
 12. The camera module of claim 11,wherein one of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly closest tothe prism element is a first lens element, and a central thickness ofthe first lens element is a largest central thickness among centralthicknesses of the lens elements of the imaging lens assembly.
 13. Thecamera module of claim 11, wherein one of the lens elements of theimaging lens assembly closest to the prism element is a first lenselement, a distance between an object-side surface of the first lenselement and an image surface on the second optical axis is TTL, a focallength of the imaging lens assembly is f, and the following condition issatisfied:0.4<TTL/f<1.10.
 14. The camera module of claim 2, wherein all of thelens elements of the imaging lens assembly are located in the innerspace of the plastic carrier.
 15. The camera module of claim 2, whereinthe plastic carrier further comprises at least two gate tracesrespectively disposed on the two sides of the plane formed by the firstoptical axis and the second optical axis.
 16. The camera module of claim15, wherein the at least two gate traces are close to the image-sideopening.
 17. The camera module of claim 2, wherein a number of the atleast one wiring element is only one, and the wiring element surroundsthe outer portion of the plastic carrier.
 18. The camera module of claim2, wherein a number of the at least two magnets is an even.
 19. Thecamera module of claim 5, wherein the plastic carrier is a threadlessstructure.
 20. The camera module of claim 2, wherein a material of theplastic carrier comprises a chemical fiber or a glass fiber.
 21. Anelectronic device, comprising: the camera module of claim 1; and animage sensor disposed on an image surface of the camera module.